This book cover I think really shows it's age. It's that "draw reality" look that was very popular during that time. It does get the point across (reminds me of the Dear Mr. Henshaw cover.) but it's very 1990s.
These are both updated covers, and I think they're a lot better, especially the one to the right. It's a lot less complicated, and it has a REAL PUPPY on the cover, which is always a winner. It's simple, to the point and way less cluttered than the other two.
PUPPIES! That's basically what I think when I see the newer covers. The one on the right looks truer to the story (the one on the left is a little too happy to encapsulate the mood of the entire book) and the fonts on the right fit better (they suggest childhood, which is central to the story; it's a bildungsroman at heart, after all). The one on the left looks like it might be about talking animals going on an adventure, which is - obviously - not the case. (I also don't like the tagline; Shiloh isn't technically Marty's dog for most of the book, and the phrase "the classic story of a boy and his dog" does not entice me to read it.) The old cover was the reason I never wanted to pick this book up; a boy and a dog on a cover might as well be a flashing sign that says Sad Story Ahead.
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